Veteran Character Actor Warren Vanders Dies
Posted by Harris Lentz in OBITS by Harris Lentz, III on December 19th, 2009
Warren Vanders was best known for his roles as bad guys in a host of western television series and films, including Rooster Cogburn (1975) starring John Wayne. He also appeared in a handful of television sci-fi and fantasy productions.
He was born Warren John Vanderschuit in San Fernando, California, on May 23, 1930. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. A boxer and football star, injuries ended hopes of an athletic career. He also studied drama, and soon began appearing on television.
He was featured in the recurring role of Chuck Davis in the western series Empire in 1963. His other television credits include episodes of Mission: Impossible, The Invaders, Search, Kung Fu, and The Amazing Spider-Man. Vanders also appeared in the prehistoric tele-film The Tribe (1974), and the sci-fi mystery The Space-Watch Murders (1975). He was also seen in the 1979 docudrama The Bermuda Triangle.
Vanders died of lung cancer in a Pasadena, California, hospital on November 27, 2009, at the age of 79.
